The present invention relates to an egg processing machine comprising egg breaking units and egg collecting units moving along at least one endless travel path and an albumen recovery device.
Such an egg processing machine is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,322. The albumen recovery device includes a vacuum system drawing air in through an inlet opening in a pickup head, which in an active position is held stationary aligned with the travel path of the egg breaking and egg collecting units. The inlet opening in the pickup head faces upwards and draws albumen remains out of the broken egg shell when the egg breaking unit passes above the inlet opening.
When one egg breaking unit passes the pickup head stringers and albumen remains from one egg shell may land on the external side of the pickup head and stick momentarily thereto without being drawn into the inlet opening. When the following egg collecting unit passes below the pickup head such stringers and albumen may get in contact with or drip down onto the egg collecting unit. It is a disadvantage that the contents of one egg in this manner can get in contact with the collecting unit holding the contents of another egg.
After breaking the egg and separating the albumen and the yolk the quality of the egg material in the egg collecting unit may be controlled in order to discharge or isolate egg contents of inferior quality. A satisfactory quality of the resulting egg materials may require an isolation of the contents of each individual egg until its quality has been controlled.